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Barry Sparks was the bassist in Yngwie's band from 'The Seventh Sign' to the 'Magnum Opus' tours. His bass work is as good as it comes and the rock solid rhythm section of Sparks and Mike Terrana (drums) are one of Yngwie's best. In this exclusive interview Barry talks about his time with Yngwie right upto the present day with Dokken.

Your first real gig was with guitarist Guy Mann Dude, I believe that the material was in a Metallica vien, why did that gig not last?
Well, i guess the typical things, you know, money,....the album didnt really take off, and it just kinda fizzled out! we were a really good band though, for that kinda heavy music.

You hooked up with Yngwie for 'The Seventh Sign' tour, do you know how Yngwie got to hear of you?
Yes, Mike Terrana, a great drummer who was playing with Tony MacAlpine, then of course Yngwie, had played with me before and he was the one who recomended me to Yngwie.

What attracted you to playing with Yngwie in the first place?
I was always a big fan, of course, but also, it was my first real kinda tour and band, we toured all over the world and it opened up lots of doors for me career wise.

Did you have to do an audition, if so can you remember what tracks you played at it?
Hahaha! oh yes!....my audition was also my first gig! it was at fender guitars, 40th anniversary party, and there were tons of legendary people there like Buddy Guy and Robben Ford, to name a few, I basically went onstage and played a show with Yngwie with no rehearsal, and it was a trial by fire! but i passed the test and hit the road shortly after.

The 'Live At Budokan' DVD from The Seventh Sign tour sees you using a pick exclusively (which Yngwie has often stated he prefers), yet pics from the Magnum Opus tour show you using your fingers, did you get your own way in the end?
Hehehe! great question! and you are very observant as well! Iguess at first I gave in a little bit and played with a pick most of the night, but...ya know, most of my heroes were real fast finger players! so the real me! kinda emerged in time, and he accepted it and even payed me great compliments from time to time, ya know, i was so proud of myself that I could play the song "trilogy suite op.5" accurately with my fingers and not use a pick! (not an easy feat!) and i think it earned me lots of respect because i wasn't just another pick bassist!

Did you have to adapt your playing as I would imagine some of the material is pretty demanding with fingers like 'Trilogy Suite Op.5'?
I just play the music the way I think it should be played....and if there was something he didn't like....he would tell me, but that didn't really happen very much, so I think we just got out there and rocked like any band would.

You then recorded the 'I Can't Wait EP' and the 'Magnum Opus' album, where these sessions basically Yngwie telling you what to play or were you given some "artistic license" and able to contribute bass parts?
If there was a unison line or something, he would tell me what to play, but mainly i always had quite a bit of freedom, especially on Magnum Opus, on I Can't Wait, he was more on my back, so to speak! but Iwas still proving myself at that point I think.

Deservedly so or not, Yngwie has aquired a certain "reputation" within the industry. How would you describe your working relationship with Yngwie?
I got along with him fairly well, I think! We had a few arguments here and there, but he would always come up and apologize to me and also he was drinking a lot of beer back then!! so that didnt help too much, but..all in all i think we got along pretty good!

How has playing in Yngwie's band affected your post-Yngwie career? Have you founnd that it gives you more credibility, or gave you more offers to join other projects?
Yes for sure, it has given me a certain amount of respect, I guess you could call it, and I became a real road dog as well!, so nothing really scares me now! hahaha!

What led to you leaving Yngwie's band? Was it your decision, Yngwie's or just natural progression?
It just happened, we finished the Magnum Opus european tour and his manager called me and said he was taking some time off....shortly after I joined MSG, so it just kinda ended, but we are still friends, there was no big blowout or anything.

Have you kept up with Yngwie's material since your time with him, if so what do think of his latest works?
I haven't really kept up with it all, I hear bits here and there, Yngwie does his thing, and it sounds like him! and thats cool.

You have recorded a couple of albums since the YJM days with Michael Vescera ['MVP - Windows' and 'Roland Grapow - Kaliedoscope'], will you and Michael work together again in the future?
I certainly hope so! we are always talking about it, it just hasnt happened yet, but who knows!

The 'Kaliedoscope' album was superb, will you be working with Roland Grapow again now that he is out of Helloween?
He has a new band already, but if he needed me to play on an album, I would do it for sure, he is a real cool guy and awesome player

You have played on a few Michael Schenker albums, what was working with Schenker like?
Michael was my all time fave guitarist growing up...so it was very cool for me to get to play all the tunes I loved! plus, I really think I knew what the songs should sound like, from a MSG fans point of view, although I was a very different player than say, Chris Glenn, I also think drummer Shane gaalaas and I were one of Michaels best rhythm sections! I don't mean to pat myself on the back, but we really hit the nail on the head with Michaels music! we were on fire, the lineup on "written in the sand" with Leif Sundin, could have been his best lineup ever if things didnt fall apart like they did!

Your recently gigged with Uli Jon Roth, it must be quite a thrill to play with all these guitar legends, Uli's music is again back to the more complex side of things, is it the complexity of material that attracts you to these kind of gigs?
Uli is amazing! and also a great friend of mine, I am very proud to have been asked to be his bass player, he was always a huge hero to me! the complexity doesn't necessarily hold the attraction, its cool of course but, really I have just as much fun getting out onstage and playing the Scorpions tunes!

How old were you when you started playing bass?
Was it the first instrument you took up? i think i was about 10 years old ....I started out on guitar.

When did you start to realise that there would be a future in music for you?
When i was ten, i pretty much decided i had to be in a band, end of story, i just was not gonna be told no! so i just kinda kept at it and never gave up, its still always a fight! i mean to play the guitar in a rock band for a living, goes against all realistic rules doesnt it!

I know your solo album 'Glimmer Of Hope' is perhaps your favourite release, can you tell the readers of GA a bit about the album?
Its an all acoustic cd i recorded, that was pretty much influenced by michael schenkers thank you album....we used to play some of that stuff live and it just rubbed off on me! there is a link on my website www.barrysparks.com to buy it.

Where can people pick up the album?
Oops i just answered that question!

Amazingly you also manage time to be in a side project with Jeff Kollman called Cosmosquad, what is the state of play with the project - any albums or gigs/clinics in the pipeline?
Yeah we do some gigs here and there. it is a great band, and it really is a challenge to keep up with those guys! they are as good as it gets!

You have just become the new bassist in Dokken, how did this oppurtunity come about?
I have known John Norum for a long time, i think he told the other guys about me.

How is it working with Don Dokken, John Norum and "Wild" Mick Brown?
Its great fun for me! i love playing straight ahead rock again, its really what i am best at, and they are all really great guys too.

Can you give us a some insight into what to expect of the forthcoming Dokken album "Long Way Home"?
It sounds like Dokken of course, but i think its a bit heavier and myself and John Norum add a new style, if thats the right word? ya know, maybe a bit more notes! haha!

Thanks for your time Barry, do you have any parting messages for your fans out there?
I would like to say hello to all the cool fans i have met through out the years, and also cant wait to see you all again this year on tour with Dokken! and keep on Rokken! thanks Barry Sparks.

Thanks Barry for finding the time to do this interview.

Official website
www.barrysparks.com

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